Device for blowing boilers



Dec. 3, 1929. A. G. KERNIN DEVICE FOR BLOWING BOILERS Filed April 2, 1928 Patented Dec. 3, 1929 Uhliillill) STATES PATENT OFFICE ALFRED G. KERNIN, OF MOSINEE, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR TO MOSINEE PAPER MILLS COMPANY, OF MOSINEE, WISCONSIN, A CORPORATION F VISCONSIN DEVICE FOR BLOWING,BO`ILERS Application led April 2, 1928.

This invention relates to a device for blowing boilers. In the blowing olf of boilers, as it is usually carried out, there is no uniformity in the operation, the operator merely blowing olf the boiler at more or less irregular intervals. Furthermore, the blowing oiil operation is generally continued for a length of time that depends almost entirely on the whim of the operator. Consequently, the operation is less eiiicient than it should be and frequently considerable quantities of hot water are unnecessarily wasted.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a device for automatically blowing oft' boilers in accordance with the actual need for such operation and for a period of time only sullicient to eliminate the mud and sediment accumulated and without unnecessary loss of hot water.

Other and further important objects of this invention will be apparent from the disclosures in the specification and the accompanying drawings.

This invention (in a preferred form) is illustrated in the drawings and hereinafter more fully described.

On the drawings:

Figure 1 is a more or less diagrammatic elevational view of a boiler installation showing my device in operative position;

Figure 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on line H-II of Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an enlarged sectional view of the device shown in Figure 1 with parts in elevation and parts shown diagrammatically.

The reference numeral 1 indicates as a whole a boiler installation comprising a plurality of steam drums 2 and a mud drum 3 with tubes l connected thereto in the usual manner for certain types of boiler installations.

lVhile the type here shown is similar to the Sterling type of boiier, it will be understood that my invention is equally applicable to other boiler installations. A blow-off tank 5, of conventional design, is connected by means of piping 6 to the mud drum 8 and by means of piping` 7 to the forward drum 2, which in the usual form of installation is positioned substantially over the fire box.

Seriai No. 266,703.

As shown in Figure 2, the piping 7 is con` nected up into the upper portion of the forward drum 2 and is provided with a. short section of piping 8 extending into said drum and having a cutaway portion 9 serving as a trough to remove surface scum from the water in said drum. The pip-ing 7 thus series to conduct scum and hot water into the blow-cti' tank 5, from which circulation of the water continues through the pipe 6 into the mud drum 3. Since the connections of the pipes 6 and 7 with the blow-ott tank 5 are near the top of said tank and are separated from each other by means of a vertical baile 10 extending downwardly into the main portion of said blow-olf tank 5, there is thus a tendency for the mud and scum to settle on the bottom of the tank 5, from which the mud and scum are discharged through a blow-off line 11 controlled by a valve 12 (Figure 3). In the blow-off operation, of course, the sediment in the mud drum 3 is blown through the pipe 6 and tank 5 out through the blow-olf line 11.

In the form of my invention shown in Figure 3, a thermostatic device, indicated as a whole by the reference numeral 13 is inserted into the lower portion of said blow-cti tank 5 with the bulb 14 containing the temperature responsive fluid in direct contact with the water and sediment contained in said blow-oil tank 5. The bulb 111 is connected by means of flexible tubing to the indicating and regulating member 16 of said thermostat 13. Said thermostat 13 is adapted to be set at any desired temperature at which opening of the blow-off valve 12 is desired. lVhen this temperature is reached, a relay 17 connected to any suitable source of current by means of main wires 18 and connected to the thermostat 13 by Wires 19 is actuated to close a circuit consisting of wires 2O leading to a solenoid 21 which in turn is operatively associated with the blew-oli valve 12. On the other hand, when the thermostat registers a predetermined higher temperature, the relay 17 is thrown out of operation and the solenoid 21 acts'to close the valve 12.

The change in temperature of the contentsl of the lower portion of the blow-off tank 5 is brought about by the gradual accumulation of sediment in the bottom of said tank building up around the bulb 14 and thus preventing access to said bulb of hot water from the drum 2. By experimentation it can be determined at what temperature the thermostat 13 should be set to effect the blowing-oil oit' the sludge contents of the blow-off tank 5, and at what higher temperature the thermostat should be set to effectuate the closing of the blow-off valve 12. If it is desired to blow the sediment from the lolovv-oii:7 tank 5 every half-hour, the thermostat may be set for its lower temperature limit at the point to which the water contained in the blow-olf tank will cool in substantially one-half hour.

It will be apparent that my invention operates upon the principle that some characteristic of the contents of the blow-od tank 5, such as its temperature, fluctuates approximately in accordance with the amount of accumulated sludge, so that means responsive to variations in such characteristic may be used to operate automatically the blow-oli valve. In this way a more efficient operation of the boilers is effected and a considerable amount of manual labor and attention eliminated.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. A device for blowing boilers comprising a receptacle for receiving Water and sediment from the boiler, a blow-off line from said receptacle, a valve in said blow-off line, thermostatic means responsive to the temperature of: said water and sediment, and electrical means responsive to said thermostatic means for actuating said valve.

2. In a boiler installation including a separator connected to the mud drum and having a valve controlled blow-off line, a device for automatically actuating said valve to blow ofi the boiler, comprising a thermostat positioned in said separator, an electrical circuit, a relay therein and a solenoid connected to said relay and adapted to operate said blowoff valve on actuation of said relay by said thermostat.

3. In a boiler installation including an upper drum, a lower mud drum, a separator connecting' to saiddrums and a valve controlled blow-ofi' line from said separator, a device for automatically actuating said valve to blow ofi" the boiler comprising a thermostat positioned in said separator and an electrical circuit, a relay therein, electrically operated means connected to said relay and adapted to operate said blow-offvalve on actuation of said relay by said thermostat.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto subscribed my name.

ALFRED G. KERNIN. 

